Welcome Zhaire Smith

[Kolkmania]

Zhaire showed basketball IQ at Texas Tech and we know he has the willingness and physical attributes to defend. He has some long term potential as a ball handler, but the most important aspect for him was improving his shot. Spacing the floor as a role player is a prerequisite.

Currently he's shooting 34% from three on a reasonable volume (>5 per 36m), that's better than I expected to be honest. I'm surprised that he hasn't got a chance this season. Him and Milton could add more dribble-drive to our offense than Scott and Ennis, while not being complete liabilities on the defensive end.

[Negrodamus]

Zhaire showed basketball IQ at Texas Tech and we know he has the willingness and physical attributes to defend. He has some long term potential as a ball handler, but the most important aspect for him was improving his shot. Spacing the floor as a role player is a prerequisite.

Currently he's shooting 34% from three on a reasonable volume (>5 per 36m), that's better than I expected to be honest. I'm surprised that he hasn't got a chance this season. Him and Milton could add more dribble-drive to our offense than Scott and Ennis, while not being complete liabilities on the defensive end.

The fact that we're not seeing the much is pretty annoying and indicative of this season. We're not blowing out teams enough for us to put in some young guys. We're still trying to force this rotation into working. Meanwhile we have guys who, theoretically, make up for our deficiencies offensively and they aren't given a chance or are underutilized: Shake, Zhaire, Shayok, Burke.

I'm hoping a Richardson trade goes down and some of these guys get their chance at some minutes.

[Kova]

That shot looks wet. I'm pleasantly surprised.

If we were having a good season (like 30-10, 31-9) we would have been able to develop him in actual NBA game. Pelle and Shayok too. This way, we are forcing our starters and role players to fight for wins.

You just can't know how his game will translate to NBA court since he hasn't played at all.

The last thing I'd want is to trade him to a team like Grizzlies or Warriors who'd give him some real minutes, and in a year or two he blossoms.

[ankle420breaker]

If someone told us on draft night two years ago that Zhaire putting up 17 points in a G-League game halfway through his sophomore season would be considered progress.... I think we'd all be disappointed.

Meanwhile, Shai just went for a 20, 20, 10 triple double.



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[Negrodamus]

If someone told us on draft night two years ago that Zhaire putting up 17 points in a G-League game halfway through his sophomore season would be considered progress.... I think we'd all be disappointed.

Meanwhile, Shai just went for a 20, 20, 10 triple double.



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That would seem pretty expected since he was basically a 19 year old 6’3 PF in college. Felt like he needed a lot of time to acclimate to the pros. His allergic reaction def didn’t help.

[rzzzzz]

Zhaire is not a pg. he's not a creator. depends on a good, well executed scheme, like what Texas Tech was running. though during a game where the team sort of was instructed to feed him the ball like crazy, the SL game against OKC, his energy level skyrocketed and he put up a lot of points as he led the team back from a 30 point deficit. i couldn't wait to see how well he and Matisse would perform with our best players. got to see half of that so far.

[APettyJ]

If someone told us on draft night two years ago that Zhaire putting up 17 points in a G-League game halfway through his sophomore season would be considered progress.... I think we'd all be disappointed.

Meanwhile, Shai just went for a 20, 20, 10 triple double.



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If given context, that he missed almost all of his rookie season due to almost dying from a food allergy, might view it differently. Who knows how Zhaire might have compared to SGA if the allergic reaction had not happened. For all we know, Sixers could have come close to killing SGA and we'd be wishing we had the young, dynamic wing who shows a lot of promise with his defense I. Zhaire. This isn't a simple case of a prospect being a bust, and I find it annoying that it is constantly pigeon-holed as that.

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[51X3RF4N]

I think the tough part is he should be getting NBA minutes. Defensively, he can give you Ennis minutes and hold his own. When Matisse went out especially he should've seen time.

Maybe he can't create on offense but neither can Matisse or James, so why not give him a shot at some minutes and see what he can do?? Especially in road games where the team needs a boost and can't seem to find a way to win.

Throw him out there and see what happens.

If he stinks it up and is a turnover machine who fouls too often, send him back to Delaware for further development.

But we won't know until we try.

Maybe he is a hidden gem right now and will elevate his play if given a chance.

Maybe he can hit catch and shoot 3s, something the rest of the guys have forgotten how to do. Maybe he can make big plays on defense and get out in the fast break for easy dunks and layups to save Ben from being the only one running the floor.

[Negrodamus]

I think that’s a Process years mentality. Brett probably doesn’t want to try new things at the expense of continuity, maintaining a game plan, and winning. I don’t think he’s going to abandon those three things to see if Zhaire can surprise in game situations. It’s not like Brett never sees him in practice.

[rzzzzz]

For all we know, Sixers could have come close to killing SGA and we'd be wishing we had the young, dynamic wing who shows a lot of promise with his defense I. Zhaire. This isn't a simple case of a prospect being a bust, and I find it annoying that it is constantly pigeon-holed as that.

seriously. i'm not sure where Brett got that reputation coming in as being a developmental coach. who the heck have we properly developed all this time? Jimmy had to come in ready made and bold as brass...so we let him go.

[APettyJ]

I think that’s a Process years mentality. Brett probably doesn’t want to try new things at the expense of continuity, maintaining a game plan, and winning. I don’t think he’s going to abandon those three things to see if Zhaire can surprise in game situations. It’s not like Brett never sees him in practice.

Actually, the "Process Years Mentality" would be to leave Zhaire exactly where he is to maximize the chances to develop into the best player he can be. It's about not rushing, but going through tried and proven steps to reach the goal, "trusting the process" to deliver rather than try shortcuts. "Throwing" a player out into the ocean to see if they sink or swim is not the process by which a player gets better. They have to have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed, which they get by playing a lot before the NBA, typically in college.

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[Negrodamus]

I think that’s a Process years mentality. Brett probably doesn’t want to try new things at the expense of continuity, maintaining a game plan, and winning. I don’t think he’s going to abandon those three things to see if Zhaire can surprise in game situations. It’s not like Brett never sees him in practice.

Actually, the "Process Years Mentality" would be to leave Zhaire exactly where he is to maximize the chances to develop into the best player he can be. It's about not rushing, but going through tried and proven steps to reach the goal, "trusting the process" to deliver rather than try shortcuts. "Throwing" a player out into the ocean to see if they sink or swim is not the process by which a player gets better. They have to have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed, which they get by playing a lot before the NBA, typically in college.

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Umm, unless Zhaire was a foreign prospect, he would play and quite a bit. Jerami Grant and KJ McDaniel started 11 and 15 games, respectfully, their first year and played in over 60 games. Richaun played 50+ games. TLC with 19 starts and almost 70 games played.

Smashing prospects into the lineup despite either being wholly unready for the NBA or not being good enough for the NBA was a process tradition.

[APettyJ]

I think that’s a Process years mentality. Brett probably doesn’t want to try new things at the expense of continuity, maintaining a game plan, and winning. I don’t think he’s going to abandon those three things to see if Zhaire can surprise in game situations. It’s not like Brett never sees him in practice.

Actually, the "Process Years Mentality" would be to leave Zhaire exactly where he is to maximize the chances to develop into the best player he can be. It's about not rushing, but going through tried and proven steps to reach the goal, "trusting the process" to deliver rather than try shortcuts. "Throwing" a player out into the ocean to see if they sink or swim is not the process by which a player gets better. They have to have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed, which they get by playing a lot before the NBA, typically in college.

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Umm, unless Zhaire was a foreign prospect, he would play and quite a bit. Jerami Grant and KJ McDaniel started 11 and 15 games, respectfully, their first year and played in over 60 games. Richaun played 50+ games. TLC with 19 starts and almost 70 games played.

Smashing prospects into the lineup despite either being wholly unready for the NBA or not being good enough for the NBA was a process tradition.

Because it fit the goals at the time. However, the focus was on developing young players and giving them the playing time needed, rather than having vets take up that time and have the youngsters rot on the bench. They can only get better with playing time, which is not really available on a team with championship aspirations, except for the atypical rookie like Thybulle, who happens to have spent four years developing his game to be NBA-ready in college.

Zhaire would not be getting much playing time if he was here, much as Neto and Burke really don't. However, with a change needed to shake things up and give the team a boost, perhaps his time to show what he has is coming soon. Hopefully he shows enough that they give him regular time, like how Pelle has played his way into the rotation and probably a regular contract.

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[Negrodamus]

Actually, the "Process Years Mentality" would be to leave Zhaire exactly where he is to maximize the chances to develop into the best player he can be. It's about not rushing, but going through tried and proven steps to reach the goal, "trusting the process" to deliver rather than try shortcuts. "Throwing" a player out into the ocean to see if they sink or swim is not the process by which a player gets better. They have to have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed, which they get by playing a lot before the NBA, typically in college.

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Umm, unless Zhaire was a foreign prospect, he would play and quite a bit. Jerami Grant and KJ McDaniel started 11 and 15 games, respectfully, their first year and played in over 60 games. Richaun played 50+ games. TLC with 19 starts and almost 70 games played.

Smashing prospects into the lineup despite either being wholly unready for the NBA or not being good enough for the NBA was a process tradition.

Because it fit the goals at the time. However, the focus was on developing young players and giving them the playing time needed, rather than having vets take up that time and have the youngsters rot on the bench. They can only get better with playing time, which is not really available on a team with championship aspirations, except for the atypical rookie like Thybulle, who happens to have spent four years developing his game to be NBA-ready in college.

Zhaire would not be getting much playing time if he was here, much as Neto and Burke really don't. However, with a change needed to shake things up and give the team a boost, perhaps his time to show what he has is coming soon. Hopefully he shows enough that they give him regular time, like how Pelle has played his way into the rotation and probably a regular contract.

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I don't know where you're taking this point. My original point was that Zhaire would 100% be playing a ton of minutes right now during the Process years. Obviously he's not now because the team has been constructed with veterans and they are trying to win now. They would not play Zhaire right now just to see how he does at the expense of continuity. That aligns with your first paragraph, so I'm not sure where the disagreement is.

[TheBallsDeeper]

I think that it's good to let the young players take their time to develop in the G-Leauge. Spurs do it really well. Give him all year at the lower level if it helps him improve, I can't see how it would be better for him to sit on the bench most nights without playing, and getting the occasional couple of minutes in junk time.

However I haven't seen anything to suggest that he will ever make it at NBA level.

[SparksFly87]

We looking at D Rose but man why isn’t Zhiare getting burn? He’s got a lil handles, a lil shot, plays def and he’s a freak athlete. I don’t get it.

[Eyeamok]

We looking at D Rose but man why isn’t Zhiare getting burn? He’s got a lil handles, a lil shot, plays def and he’s a freak athlete. I don’t get it.

Maybe Smith is just not ready but Rose is a proven veteran. Who is doing it night in and night out at the NBA level ?

[LloydFree]

We looking at D Rose but man why isn’t Zhiare getting burn? He’s got a lil handles, a lil shot, plays def and he’s a freak athlete. I don’t get it.

We're looking at D. Rose because they're looking for a shot creator from the guard position, they can put on the floor at the end of games. Has nothing to do with Zhaire. They're not giving Zhaire burn because they already have Thybulle to give all of the things Zhaire can give you.

[Kobblehead]

That's like asking why are the Warriors looking to add Durant when they could just retain Barnes.

[LloydFree]

That's like asking why are the Warriors looking to add Durant when they could just retain Barnes.

I think it's more absurd than that.